万维提示：
1、该刊只有国际刊号。
2、投稿方式：官网投稿。
3、官网网址：
https://softscijournal.com自动跳转至：
https://www.oaepublish.com/ss
（出版单位微信公众号“OAE开放科学”信息）
4、投稿系统：
https://www.oaecenter.com/login?JournalId=ss
5、官网电话：029-89540089；010-84185560
6、官网邮箱：editorialoffice@softscijournal.com
（更多编辑邮箱详见官网信息）
7、出刊日期：季刊，一年出版四期。
2025年12月25日星期四
Author Instructions
【官网信息】
1. Submission Overview
Before you decide to publish with us, please read the following items carefully and make sure that you are well aware of Editorial Policies and the following requirements.
1.1 Topic Suitability
The topic of the manuscript must fit the scope of the journal. Please refer to Aims and Scope for more information.
1.2 Open Access and Copyright
The journal adopts Gold Open Access publishing model and distributes content under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright is retained by authors. Please make sure that you are well aware of these policies.
1.3 Publication Fees
Soft Science is an open access journal. When a paper is accepted for publication, authors are required to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs) to cover its editorial and production costs. The APC for each submission is $2600. There are no additional charges based on color, length, figures, or other elements. For more details, please refer to OAE Publication Fees.
1.4 Language Editing
All submissions are required to be presented clearly and cohesively in good English. Authors whose first language is not English are advised to have their manuscripts checked or edited by a native English speaker before submission to ensure the high quality of expression. A well-organized manuscript in good English would make the peer review even the whole editorial handling more smoothly and efficiently.
If needed, authors are recommended to consider the language editing services provided by OAE to ensure that the manuscript is written in correct scientific English before submission. An extra charge is required to enjoy this service. Please visit https://www.oaepublish.com/services or contact English-Editing@oaepublish.com for more details.
1.5 Work Funded by the National Institutes of Health
If an accepted manuscript was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), the author may inform Editors of the NIH funding number. The Editors are able to deposit the paper to the NIH Manuscript Submission System on behalf of the author.
2. Submission Preparation
2.1 Cover Letter
A cover letter is required to be submitted accompanying each manuscript. It should be concise and explain why the study is significant, why it fits the scope of the journal, and why it would be attractive to readers, etc.
Here is a guideline of a cover letter for authors' consideration:
In the first paragraph: include the title and type (e.g., Research Article, Review Article, etc.) of the manuscript, a brief on the background of the study, the question the author sought out to answer and why;
In the second paragraph: concisely explain what was done, the main findings and why they are significant;
In the third paragraph: indicate why the manuscript fits the Aims and Scope of the journal, and why it would be attractive to readers;
In the fourth paragraph: confirm that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere and not under consideration of any other journal. All authors have approved the manuscript and agreed on its submission to the journal. Journal's specific requirements have been met if any.
If the manuscript is contributed to a special topic, please also mention it in the cover letter.
If the manuscript was presented partly or entirely in a conference, the author should clearly state the background information of the event, including the conference name, time and place in the cover letter.
2.2 Types of Manuscripts
The journal publishes Research Article, Review Article, Communication, Perspective, Commentary, Research Highlight, News, Editorial etc. For more details about paper type, please refer to the following table.
Manuscript TypeDefinition Word Limit AbstractKeywordsMain Text Structure
Research Article A Research Article is a seminal and insightful research study and showcases that often involves modern techniques or methodologies. Authors should justify that their work are of novel findings. Research Articles will be subject to rigorous peer review by experts on the subject matter.8000 maxThe abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. No more than 250 words.3-6 keywordsThe main content should include four sections: Introduction, Experimental, Results and discussion, and Conclusions.
Mini Review /Review Article A review article should provide readers with an in-depth understanding of a field by summarizing existing literature, and highlight key gaps and challenges to address future research. Review submissions will be subject to rigorous peer review by experts on the subject matter.5000~8000 /8000~20000Unstructured abstract. No more than 250 words.3-6 keywordsThe main text may consist of several sections with unfixed section titles. We suggest that the author include an "Introduction" section at the beginning, several sections with unfixed titles in the middle part, and a "Conclusion and outlook" section in the end.
Systematic ReviewA Systematic Review collects and critically analyzes multiple research studies, using methods selected before one or more research questions are formulated, and then finding and analyzing related studies and answering those questions in a structured methodology.8000 maxUnstructured abstract. No more than 250 words.3-6 keywordsThe main content should include four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.
Communication A Communication is for the urgent publication of a research which is of outstanding significance and interest to experts in the field and also to general readership. Communication submissions will be subject to rigorous peer review by experts on the subject matter.
4000 max Unstructured abstract. No more than 150 words.3-6 keywords
The Communication is a one body text with maximum 4 items (figures and tables).
PerspectiveA Perspective provides personal points of view on the state-of-the-art of a specific area of knowledge and its future prospects.Perspective submissions will be subject to rigorous peer review by experts on the subject matter.1800 maxUnstructured abstract. No more than 150 words. 3-6 keywords/
CommentaryA Commentary is to provide comments on a newly published article or an alternative viewpoint on a certain topic.2500 max
Unstructured abstract. No more than 150 words.3-6 keywords/
Research HighlightA Research Highlight article highlights work recently published in the journal or in a recent issue of another journal. Research Highlight submissions are typically not subject to peer review at the discretion of the editorial team.1200 maxUnstructured abstract. No more than 150 words.3-6 keywords/
NewsA News comments on an important event in the related field in the world. News submissions are typically not subject to peer review at the discretion of the editorial team.1500 maxNone required.
None required./
Editorial An Editorial can be a comment about an important event in the world related or not to soft science or a particular discovery in soft science, needing a particular attention of soft science community. Editorials are typically not subject to peer review at the discretion of the editorial team.1000 maxNone required.None required./
2.3 Manuscript Structure
2.3.1 Front Matter
2.3.1.1 Title
The title of the manuscript should be concise, specific and relevant, with no more than 16 words if possible. When gene or protein names are included, the abbreviated name rather than full name should be used.
2.3.1.2 Authors and Affiliations
Authors' full names should be listed. The initials of middle names can be provided. Institutional addresses and email addresses for all authors should be listed. At least one author should be designated as corresponding author. In addition, corresponding authors are suggested to provide their Open Researcher and Contributor ID upon submission. Please note that any change to authorship is not allowed after manuscript acceptance.
2.3.1.3 Abstract
The abstract should be a single paragraph with word limitation and specific structure requirements (for more details please refer to Types of Manuscripts). It usually describes the main objective(s) of the study, explains how the study was done, including any model organisms used, without methodological detail, and summarizes the most important results and their significance. The abstract must be an objective representation of the study: it is not allowed to contain results which are not presented and substantiated in the manuscript, or exaggerate the main conclusions. Citations should not be included in the abstract.
2.3.1.4 Graphical Abstract
The graphical abstract is essential as this can catch first view of your publication by readers. We recommend you to submit an eye-catching figure. It should summarize the content of the article in a concise graphical form. It is recommended to use it because this can make online articles get more attention. The graphic abstract should be submitted as a separate document in the online submission system. Please provide an image with a minimum of 730 × 1,228 pixels (h × w) or proportionally more. The image should be readable at a size of 7 × 12 cm using a regular screen resolution of 96 dpi. Preferred file types: TIFF, PSD, AI, JPG, JPEG, EPS, PNG, ZIP and PDF files.
2.3.1.5 Keywords
Three to six keywords should be provided, which are specific to the article, yet reasonably common within the subject discipline.
2.3.2 Main Text
Manuscripts of different types are structured with different sections of content. Please refer to Types of Manuscripts to make sure which sections should be included in the manuscripts.
2.3.2.1 Introduction
The introduction should contain background that puts the manuscript into context, allow readers to understand why the study is important, include a brief review of key literature, and conclude with a brief statement of the overall aim of the work and a comment about whether that aim was achieved. Relevant controversies or disagreements in the field should be introduced as well.
2.3.2.2 Experimental
Experimental should contain sufficient details to allow others to fully replicate the study. New methods and protocols should be described in detail while well-established methods can be briefly described or appropriately cited. Experimental participants selected, the drugs and chemicals used, the statistical methods taken, and the computer software used should be identified precisely. Statistical terms, abbreviations, and all symbols used should be defined clearly. Protocol documents for clinical trials, observational studies, and other non-laboratory investigations may be uploaded as supplementary materials.
2.3.2.3 Results and Discussion
This section should contain the findings of the study and discuss the implications of the findings in context of existing research and highlight limitations of the study. Future research directions may also be mentioned. Results of statistical analysis should also be included either as text or as tables or figures if appropriate. Authors should emphasize and summarize only the most important observations. Data on all primary and secondary outcomes identified in the section Methods should also be provided. Extra or supplementary materials and technical details can be placed in supplementary documents.
2.3.2.4 Conclusions
It should state clearly the main conclusions and include the explanation of their relevance or importance to the field.
2.3.3 Back Matter
2.3.3.1 Acknowledgments
Anyone who contributed towards the article but does not meet the criteria for authorship, including those who provided professional writing services or materials, should be acknowledged. Authors should obtain permission to acknowledge from all those mentioned in the Acknowledgments section. This section is not added if the author does not have anyone to acknowledge.
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更多详见：
https://www.oaepublish.com/ss/author_instructions
